Category: Flying

There are two kinds of people in this world – those who love a long haul flight and those who are not sure what on earth they will do for 19 hours, no matter how lovely the time they will have when they get off the plane at the other end. When you’re a dashing and (dare I say it) suave pilot like a certain Nurali Aliyev, it’s all in a glamourous day’s work, but for first time long haul passengers, the prospect of being confined to a seat for that long is a little bit of a new and strange experience. And if you plan ahead, it can actually be quite exciting. Here’s a few pointers to turn your first long haul flight into one of the more interesting journeys you’ve ever taken.

The main thing people think about is whether they might get bored being in one place for so long, but most long haul flights have great entertainment in place for a truly satisfying movie or tv binge. If there isn’t, you can actually download videos and games onto a cheap tablet before your flight to while away the time. If you aren’t a fan of this, there’s always a good book, or you can track the progress of the plane on the interactive map. It may sound nerdy but this is one of the things Nurali Aliyev likes to do if he’s not in the cockpit!

Something you may have heard about on long haul flights is that thing where your feet start to look all puffy like those of that nice lady who serves biscuits at church but is kind of exploding out of her sandals. Flying does have some weird effects, as is to be expected, but this is one that can make you feel a bit less like a glamourous jet-setter and more like a sort of flying manatee. This can be remedied though – invest in some circulation socks and if you are feeling particularly active, take a few walks up and down the aisle once the seat belt sign is off.

A long haul flight will often take place overnight, and this may even happen in some odd time zones. Get ready for 4am croissants … anyway, a lot of folks try to get some sleep, even at these unusual hours, perhaps to get the drop on jet lag or to try to pass the time more quickly. The best way to sleep is to try to transform your space, if you don’t have one of the fancy seats that turn into beds. Recline (make sure you don’t squish the person behind), pack a travel pillow, strap on a sleeping mask and pop in some earplugs (seriously, these help so much). Looking good (obviously) but sleeping well too!

Over the coming months I am going to be writing about my flying experiences which I hope you will find interesting. In this blog post, I am going to address people’s fear of flying and explain to you all about turbulence and what it means. Understanding what causes people’s fear of flying can help to point you towards getting over that fear. You might have experienced strong turbulence during a flight or even experienced an emergency landing. Hearing about airplane crash can understandably cause a lot of people to feel afraid.

However, the important thing to keep in mind is that plane crashes are extremely rare so when they do happen they tend to attract a huge amount of attention from the media so you will see the news blasted over the papers, on the internet or on your television screen. The truth is that we engage in activities every day which are far more dangerous than flying. There are courses that you can enrol in in order to combat your fear, you will soon realise you are not alone! Being in control, and knowing the facts about flying will help to reduce ones fear. Worst case scenario and if the aeroplane’s system did fail, the plane would become an enormous glider meaning the pilot could still land safely.

Now to address people’s questions on turbulence, this is caused by pockets of air, but as long as passengers are strapped in, it is really nothing to worry about! It can be compared to a bumpy road or even an ocean current. If you look at statistics you will find that it is extremely rare for an aircraft to be affected, besides the safety factors built into the aircraft should keep your mind at bay from any negative thoughts. I hope I have quelled any initial fears that you might have had, but if you have any more questions just remember Nurali Aliyev is here to help!